Soaked homeowners, start bailing

Crumbling roof tiles, clogged rain gutters, backed-up drainage systems and unstable retaining walls have forced hapless homeowners unprepared for last weekend’s drenching rainstorms to rely on tarps, pumps and hammers to contain the mess while they scramble for professional help that may be weeks in coming.

The deluge -- up to 31 inches of rain pounded parts of Los Angeles County in the most recent storms -- has spotlighted for many homeowners the pitfalls of deferring maintenance and has forced them to take temporary steps to safeguard their homes before the next storm rolls in.

“People ignore home maintenance in Southern California, and we have the type of soil that gets you into trouble really quickly when the water begins pouring in,” said Dwight Dreyer, owner of Mr. Penny Custom Gutter Systems in Pasadena. “People in Seattle are prepared for these storms. Californians aren’t.”

Prepared or not, many homeowners have quickly learned how to spread tarps on leaky roofs, a tricky proposition while battling the elements but necessary to preserve drywall and interior paint jobs. Homeowners with flat-roofing systems are the most vulnerable to leaks, said Silver Lake roofer Mike Glass of J&J; Roofing.

“When 3 inches of water sits on a roof, it will find a way in, no matter how well the roof is designed,” Glass said. “Water is heavy.”

Glass recommends that during a break in the weather homeowners with leaky roofs cover the area with large tarps, secured with nails driven into the eaves. Cinderblocks or bricks can be used in a pinch to hold the tarps down, but they should not be placed at the roof’s edge. Fastenings should not be bored into the roofing material, as water can slide into screw threads, Glass added.

Roofers typically cannot fix rain-related problems during storms, and most will not spread tarps, a time-consuming project that contractors and handy- men are more likely to tackle. Glass and other roofers say they are backlogged with hundreds of calls, so it is likely some jobs will be delayed until spring.

That does not mean homeowners should do nothing. During a dry spell, they are advised to clear rain gutters with a trowel, snake downspouts and remove standing water from flat roofs by directing it down the drainage system.

Debris built up in gutters can result in water pooling in the wrong places, usually at the home’s foundation. If water saturates the area under a house, termites and mold often appear later.

There is not much homeowners can do when water backs up against the side of a house and infiltrates the rooms inside. If that happens, said Neil MacDonald, a spokesman for Flood Response of Palm Desert, remove the carpet and pad, drill under baseboards and set up commercial-grade dehumidifiers and air movers.

Encino resident Shelly Levy feels lucky that water did not spread to her home’s foundation. She watched helplessly last weekend as water poured into her backyard, not from clogged gutters but from the hillside above her property. The river of water left huge pools in the yard, which had to be pumped and swept out.

“This caught us by surprise,” Levy said. “The rain was so heavy and constant.”

Some backyard flooding can be avoided by the annual snaking of landscaping drains, which become root bound and clogged with leaves, said Van Nuys plumber Steve Reckon. The drains cannot be cleared during storms because the snaking equipment is electrical, he said. Autumn maintenance can preclude winter backups that often result in flooded basements and garages, where air and heating equipment is stored in many homes.

“If the foundation’s footings are sealed properly and drains are cleared, water shouldn’t enter a basement, even during a storm,” Reckon said. “If it does, you need advice from a geologist.”

Garrett Burt, owner of CG Rogers & Sons Masonry in Pasadena, isn’t a geologist, but he’s no stranger to dealing with mudslides and slumping retaining walls.

The recent storms spurred a flood of calls from owners living downhill from properties surrounded by teetering cinder-block walls. Saturated earth and poor footings can loosen the retaining walls, threatening the properties below.

Burt recommends that homeowners whose cinder-block walls have obviously slipped and pose a danger demolish the wall by carefully removing one block at a time, using goggles, gloves and a chisel or hammer. Residential retaining walls surrounding decks typically are not holding up hills; their removal usually will not start a dangerous mudslide.

Loose walls, leaking roofs and clogged drains weren’t the only homeowner headaches unleashed by the storm. Fallen trees have caved in roofs and blocked driveways and streets around the region.

Whittier tree specialist Nick Federoff recommends that homeowners use the rain respite to strengthen wobbling small- to medium-size trees by using a two-stake system. If the ground is saturated, use two long stakes and sink them about 4 feet into the ground. Guide the tree upright and secure it to the stakes using stake ties, which can be purchased at nurseries and hardware stores.

Larger trees require three wires or straps, which are affixed to the canopy of the tree, then tied to stakes placed five to 15 feet away from the tree.

“Trees planted in lawns are not compatible with too much water,” Federoff said. “The lawn forces the roots of the tree to come to the surface, and the trees fall. Trees are better off in planter beds.”

Although many private storm-related service companies are swamped for the next few weeks, Los Angeles residents dealing with flood damage may call the county’s Department of Public Works hotline, (800) 675-HELP, or visit www.ladpw.org and click on “water” to read the “Homeowner’s Guide for Flood, Debris and Erosion Control.”